Amusement device



AM 14, 1931. F, L. mx ET AL 1,800,934

AMUSEMENT DEVI CE Filed Aug. 24, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 25 /2 2 gl? j A f/ /0 5 AW@ M W33- F. L. Fax L21" AL AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Aug. 24, 1926 Inventors, Wade/22% 770 Je, 7? C. Gzsow,

w D@ E y im, A 7.

Patented Apr. 14, 1931 1,800,934

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE d FREDERICK L. FOX, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND FRANK C. GIBSON, OF FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA AMUSEMENT DEVICE Application filed August 24, 1926. Serial No. 131,185.

This invention relates to improvements in Figure l is a side elevation of the device amusement devices and has particular refshowing the parts in housed relation and a erence to a device for testing the skill of an portion of the housing broken away to show operator and which may be used in connection a portion of the mechanism therein.

with o game of chance, Figure 2 is a plan view of the base mem- 55 An object of the invention resides in prober showing' in full and dotted lines the viding an amusement device wherein a suittwo positions of the game device thereon, able element adapted to be struck by the hand F igllre 3 is a vertical sectional View 4taken of the operator or with a suitable instrument on the line of Figure 2.

is movably mounted on a supporting struc- Figure li is a vertical sectional view taken 60 ture and adapted to operate an indicating on line fl-d oit Figure l. mechanism for registering the operation of Figure 5 is an enlarged plan view of the the element so that the indication may be used game CleViCe Showing portions broken away in determining the skill of the operator. and adapted to particularly illustrate the A further object of the invention resides in relation of the operating arm and the indi- U5 providing an amusement device having a Catlng hand in their normal. positions. movable element adapted for operation on a h Flgure 6 S a sectional view 'taken on the suitable support through the striking of the llne 6*-6 of Figure 5.

device by the operator having suitable in- Figure 7 is an end elevation of the indidicating means operated thereby for regis- Gator. 70 tering the 81H11 of tho operator, which oon- Figure 8 1s a detail view showing how the struction is mounted on a. Suitable Support base member and the casing are assembled and interchangeable for operation either by so that the hook members will secure the base right or left hand players. member in the position shown in Figure l.

The invention further oomprehondg the A suitable supporting plate is indicated at 75 provision of a structure of the above menl which is preferably of elongated rectanguionod Character in which a, Suitable base lill OlHl having its POIlLlOIl IQCGSSGfl lS indimembor is provided with moans for mountcated at 2 to receive the tree edge portion ot ing the movable element and the indicating the casing member 3. The free edge pormechanism in such relation that it may be VLOHS 0f Opposite sides of this casing mom- 50 l'olnovably associated With a, Suitable Casing bei' are fOI'lUCtl Wltll Slttefl pOllOIlS 2lb 4 so as to enclose the device in Said Casing to receive the eyes 5 mounted on the plate when not in use, and to rigidly Support tho member l, while thehools (i on opposite sides easing or in which the base member may be of the casingl 3 in the position of the parts reversed in the casing or removed therefrom as shown in Figure 8 are adapted to have the S5 when it is desired to play a game. end portions 7 extend through the eyes 5 for The invention Comprehendg numerous rigidly retaining' the CaSiIlg and the Supportother objects and improvements residing in lng plate in assembled lelttiOH t0 llOuSe the the details of construction and arrangement device aS Shown in Figure l. of the parts which are more particularly A suitable base member 8 is attached to im pointed out in the following detailed descripthe supporting plate l by the pivot screw 9 tion and in the claims directed to the premore particularly shown in `Figure 3 for ferred form of the invention, it being undermovement so that the base may be positioned stood, however, that various changes in the in either of the two positions shown in Fig o 5 size, shape and relation of the parts may ure 2 in full and dotted lines, respectively. 9 be made forcarrying out the invention which In order to retain this base member in either are clearly within the scope and spirit of the 0il these positions the same is provided at 10 invention as herein set forth. with a socket receiving the pressed metal In the drawings forming part of this aphousing 11 which carries the resiliently pro- PHCOD 1*- jected automatic catch member l2. This 'um positions shown in Figure 2. Theftivo positions of the base member are to permit operation of the device either by a right or left hand operator, respectively, as Will be hereinafter more clearly explained.

f The central portion of the base member 8 is provided with anl opening at 14l therethrough which is closed by the bearing plates 15x secured to the opposite- Sides of the base member as clearly shown in Figure 3. Said plates are formed With aligne-d bearings for rotatably mounting the shaft 16 having reduced" extensions providedV with bearing engagement insaid bearing plates, one of said extensions indicated at 17 extending beyond the upper bearing plate as shown in Figure 3 and mounting the operating arm 18 on the free end portion thereof in space-d relation with the face of the base member 8. A coil spring 19 is mounted on the shaft 16 and has y one end anchored in the shaft and the opposite end anchoredf in one of Vsaid bearing plates and normally serves to rotate theoperating arm 18 in one direction, said arm being limited in its movement by the removable stop pin 2O mounted in the free edge portion of the base 8.`

Interposed between the operatingl member 18KV and the adjacent bearing plate 15 is the indicating pointer 21 rotatably mounted about the shaft extension 17. This indicator or pointer 2 1 is more particularly shown in Figures 5 to` 7 inclusive and includes a hub portion 22 having an annular and laterally extending flange, from one side of the center portion thereof as indicated at 23 surrounding the opening which receives the reduced' extension 17 on the shaft 1G. The

Y periphery of the hub portion 22 is provided With a. plurality of laterally projecting curved lingers 24 which form resilient friction elements and are projected from the flan-ge 23 of the opposite side from pointer 21 so as tofrictionally engage the' bearing plate 15. The moment arm for the'fo-rce of friction for elements 24 is greater than for element 23.so that the friction between 23 and 18 during the counter-clockwise movement of arm 18 Will-not be suiicicient to move the pointer back. In order that the pointer will operate with they rotation of the arm in one direction, a projection 25 is provide-d intermediate the ends of the pointer'exte-nding upwardly and into the path of movement of saizd arm 18 so that as it rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 5 the away from theeoperatior.

pointer Will be moved with the arm 18 to the extent of its arc of rotation Where it Will retent of the movement of the arm 18. They free end of the arm 18 is provided with an ex- Y tension 27 on which is mounted a preferably resilient or yieldable body 28 forming an impact member adapted: toA receive -a blow of a stick or other instrument as well-l as operation by the hand to produce suiiicient impact for operating the pointer to register the result of such impacton the scale 26.l

With the device constructed Vas above described in Which the operating arm 18'receives an impact adapted to operate. the arm in one'direction only and the parts are positioned as in Figures 2 Vand 5 and the operating arm 18 pointing inthe direction toward.

theoperator that a'right handed operation- Will be required to produce an impact with.v the body 28 for mov-ing the operating arm 18 in the direction of the arrow..A Should a left handed operator desireto operate the device the handle 29 is grasped' `{vith the. hand and the enti-re base member-8' rotated on .its pivot screw I9' until'A the .catch 12' seats in the latchplate 13 at the left hand sideof Figure 2 so that the base member Will be in the. dotted Y lineposition as. shownin Figure 2. In this. position the left hand' opera-tor may hit the body 28 so as to operate the arm inthe same 'direction to produce an indication 'on scale 2.6 as when used vby*v a right hand operator. For a-.left hand operator thearm 18 points In operating the device the impact on the body 28 maybe provided .by hitting thebody with the hand or'througlh thev use of a handle or sticksi-mil'ar toa golf club in order that the impact Will be suiicientl to rotate thearm and the shaftV 16 againstthe tensionofi-the spring 19,' and i-n VWhichrotation the pointer 21 Will be moved to; indicate the extent of rotation of the arm 18 asza result of theV impact applied' to the body 28. In this Way an amusement device is provided in which success in ope-rating the device is dependent upon the slrili ofthe operator so that it maybe used as a chance device depending upon such skill ofthe operatorto determinethe result in a predetermined p chancey arrangement through the operation-of the arm 18. The results are attained-by 'reading the position of the pointer on scale 26'. Should it be desired to change the tension on the springp119 it will be Vunderstood tl'flatl the stop member 20 may be removed and the arm rotatedin iso Lacasse one direction one or more times to either increase or decrease the tension on the arm 18. The stop memberI is then replaced after the desired tension on the operation of the arm i8 is obtained.

The plate member l provides a suitable holding means for the device to prevent its movement in operation so that the operator may suitably hold the supporting plate against moving when operating the arm 18 by hitting the member 28. It is to be under stood, however, that if desired, the base member 8 may be suitably mounted on a permanent support rather than the plate member l.

lt is to be further noted that the plate member l effectively receives the casing 3 which provides the container structure for the device including the member 28 with the parts as shown in Figure l so that the device may be conveniently shipped or mailed without danger of injuring any portion of the mechanism. Through the recessed construction of the supporting plate l as indicated at ll and the reception of the free edge portion of the casing 3 therein it will be understood that the assembled casing and supporting plate form a rigid enclosure in cooperation for the device.

rlhis construction provides a novel chance or game device for amusement purposes at Carnivals and the like and also for indoor use. By properly graduating the scale 26 and using a suitable chart or picture of a golf course a game may be played indoors to simulate golf while numerous other results having considerable advantage and amusement may be obtained with the use of the device above described.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. An amusement device, comprising a base member, an indicating mechanism, an arm for operating said indicating mechanism having one end pivotally connected to said basi, stop means limiting the movement of sa' l arm, resilient means for normally retaining said arm engaged with said stop means under tension, said arm adapted to receive an impact, said indicating mechanism registering` the de'dection of said arm away from said stop means under said impact, and said stop means being removable from the base to allow reverse operation of the arm to change the tension of said resilient means.

2. An amusement device, comprising a base member having an opening therein, a shaft in said opening having extensions on o posite ends thereof, a pair of bearing p ates mounted on the base for rotatably receiving said extensions, an arm having one end secured to one of said extensions and movable over the base, a resilient member attached to said shaft and one of the bearing plates for normally rotating said shaft and arm in one direction, means on the base for engaging said arm and limiting its movement, said means retaining said resilient member under tension and operable to release the arm for rotation to change said tension, and indicating means for registering the deflection of the arm in a direction away from said limiting means by an impact with the free end thereof, said bearing plates serving to maintain said shaft, resilient means and arm in assembled relation on the base member.

3. A golf device of the class described, com prising a supporting plate, a base member pivotally mounted on said supporting plate, means for releasably locking said base member in either right or left hand playing positions on said supporting plate, and a golf game device having means operably rotatable in one direction mounted on said base member.

fi. An amusement device, comprising a supporting plate, a game device operable in one direction, and means mounting said game device at one end of said supporting plate operable to permit the positioning of said game device in either of two positions on said supporting plate, said game device being operable by a right-handed operator when set in one of said positions, and by a left-handed operator in the other of said positions, the operator in either case being at the end of said supporting plate opposite to that at which the game device is mounted.

5. An amusement device, comprising a base member having an opening therein, bearing plates mounted on oppositesides of said base member and over said opening, a shaft eX- tending through said opening and rotatable in said bearing plates, an operating arm having one end mounted on one end of said shaft, said arm being in spaced and substantially parallel relation to said base member, a resilient member having one end attached to said shaft and the opposite end to one of said bearing plates for rotating said shaft and arm in one direction, a stop pin removably mounted in said base member for engaging said operating arm and limiting the rotation thereof with saidshaft, said resilient meinber normally retaining said arm against said stop pin under tension, and a pointer rotatable on said shaft between said operating arm and base member having frictional contact with one of said bearing plates suliicient to retain the pointer in any set position on said base member, said pointer having means engaged by said arm for rotating said pointer by the movement of said arm.

6. An amusement device, comprising a base member, a shaft rotatable therein, an operating arm mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, said arm being substantially parallel to said base member, resilient means tending to rotate said arm in one direction, a stop on said base for engaging said arm and against which said arm is normally held* under tension of the resilient means, and? a pointer formed of an elon ated' strip having one endY rotatably mountec on said shaft between said base member and operating arm, said strip having a plurality of lingers formedtliereon adjacent saidsliaft and engaging said basel member, said' fingers normal-ly engaging said base member With sulicient friction torprevent rotation of said pointer during vrotationo-f said shaft,V and a projection on said pointer with which said operating armengages for rotating said pointer by said arm underpredetermined conditions. Y

In testimony whereof We aiiix our signa tures.

FREDERICK L. FOX. FRANK C. GIBSON.- 

